Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Wreck of the Hesperus Synopsis
About a poem of Longfellow. The skipper of a ship took his daughter along for company on ill fated voyage. The skipper tied his daughter to the mast so she wouldn't be sweep over board during a hurricane. She called out to her father as he and the ship washed ashore. A fisherman discovered the wreck the next morning with the daughter still tied to the mast. All aboard were dead.
Flirting with Death Synopsis
When an aviator dies performing in a traveling circus, the circus closes and side show con men "Sky-High" Billy Wardell and "Domino" Dominick are arrested for giving out fake watches to wheel of fortune winners. After Domino springs the jail's lock, they jump a freight train and arrive in the next town, where Billy falls in love when Jane Higgenbotham allows them to breakfast on her freshly baked pies. When Billy, who gets a job as a reporter, learns that Jane's father Dave, an inventor, has no money to manufacture his "aerochute," designed to insure airplane safety, Billy opens a stock company and sells shares to villagers and farmers. After Ed Warmbath, a disappointed rival for Jane's affection, learns that Billy is wanted for jailbreak, he informs the townspeople, who demand that Dave return their money. Because Billy sees that Jane doubts his honesty, he volunteers to test the chute in a plane piloted by Murphy, a circus friend. Murphy's drunkenness inspires Billy to jump, and he lands safely, thus winning back the townsfolks' confidence, and Jane's love.
"The Wreck of the Hesperus" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Flirting with Death" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Wreck of the Hesperus